ROGUE TROOPER is coming to screens written and directed by Duncan Jones
Duncan Jones made an incredible debut with his Sam Rockwell-starring sci-fi, Moon. However, his follow-ups haven’t collected as much acclaim with the Groundhog Day-on-a-train thriller Source Code, his step into the big-budget franchise world with Warcraft, and his high-concept Netflix sci-fi, Mute. For years, Jones has been developing an adaptation of the comic Rogue Trooper, which is to be an animated feature. The production has been rolling along, and Variety has revealed the cast of actors that Jones has been able to compile for the film.
Aneurin Barnard, Hayley Atwell, and Jack Lowden are reportedly said to be the main cast in the lead roles for the science-fiction animated film. Barnard, whose credits include The Goldfinch and Dunkirk, is set to star as the eponymous Rogue Trooper. Joining him in the movie is Atwell, who is known for her roles in the Captain America movies and various Marvel Studios appearances, as well as the recent Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. Rounding out the main cast is Lowden, who was previously seen in Slow Horses and Dunkirk.
Jones has additionally assembled Daryl McCormack (Bad Sisters, Good Luck to You Leo Grande), Reece Shearsmith (Inside No. 9, Saltburn), Jemaine Clement (Avatar: The Way of Water, Flight of the Conchords), Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows), Diane Morgan (Cunk on Earth), Alice Lowe (Black Mirror), Asa Butterfield (Sex Education, Hugo) and Sean Bean (Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings).
The movie, which is based on a 2000 AD’s comic book series by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons, will be animated and made with Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5.
Rogue Trooper is one of the greatest characters to come out of 2000 AD, which also publishes characters such as Judge Dredd, Nemesis the Warlock, and Strontium Dog. Created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons, Rogue Trooper is a genetically engineered soldier bred to fight on Nu-Earth, a hellish planet consumed by an endless war between the Norts and the Southers. The sole survivor of a massacre that claimed his fellow GIs, Rogue sets out on a mission to find the traitor who betrayed them – the personalities of three dead comrades plugged into his helmet, backpack, and rifle.
Jones is one of a generation of leading British film directors who have been inspired by the satirical, anti-establishment, and hyper-violent comic strips in 2000 AD. First published in 1977, 2000 AD has been at the cutting edge of British culture for four decades and continues to publish ground-breaking science fiction, fantasy, and horror comics.
2000 AD is the legendary weekly British anthology comic – the home of Judge Dredd and a galaxy of original sci-fi, fantasy, and horror action stars. Producing innovative and provocative comics for 40 years, it has brought the industry some of its biggest talents, from Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, and Mark Millar, to Jock, Brian Bolland, Dave Gibbons, and many more. Published in print and digital every Wednesday, 2000 AD is the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic and remains at the industry’s cutting edge.
